The South Korean government says a previously reported North Korean threat to cut all inter-Korean relations is not Pyongyang's official position.

Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun made the remarks after the Rodong Shinmun, the Workers' Party newspaper, said in a Thursday commentary that it would end all ties with the South if the Lee Myung-bak government continues to pursue what it called anti-North Korea policies.

The spokesman said the commentary may reflect the Pyongyang government's stance, but it is not the North's official stance.

He also added that the government remains committed to improving bilateral relations through dialogues.

Asked whether North Korea will stop a joint industrial project in Gaeseong and South Korean tours to the North's border city, he avoided a direct answer, saying the government is prepared for "a number of situations."

On civic groups' spreading of anti-communist leaflets in North Korea, the official said the government could not force them to stop it.